The 1997 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
district elected according to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third elected after a four year period, two-thirds elected after the next four-year period ) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Federal Senate - last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1998 for one-third of the Senate); Chamber of Deputies - last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held October 1998) election results: Federal Senate - percent of vote by party - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12%; seats by party - NA; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PMDB 21%, PFL 18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%; seats by party - NA note: party totals since the fall of 1994 have changed considerably due to extensive party-switching
Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal, judges are appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate
Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement Party or
PMDB [Paes DE ANDRADE, president]; Liberal Front Party or PFL [Jose
JORGE, president]; Workers' Party or PT [Jose DIRCEU, president];
Brazilian Workers' Party or PTB [Rodrigues PALMA, president];
Democratic Labor Party or PDT [Leonel BRIZOLA, president]; Brazilian
Progressive Party or PPB [Espiridiao AMIN, president]; Brazilian
Social Democracy Party or PSDB [Artur DA TAVOLA, president]; Popular
Socialist Party or PPS [Roberto FREIRE, president]; Communist Party of
Brazil or PCdoB [Joao AMAZONAS, chairman]; Liberal Party or PL [Alvaro
VALLE, president]; Progressive Reform Party or PPR [Esperido AMIN,
president]
Political pressure groups and leaders: left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Workers' Party are critical of government's social and economic policies
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), BIS
(pending member), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MTCR, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN,
UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 238–2700 FAX: [1] (202) 238–2827 consulate(s) general : Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030 telephone: [55] (61) 321–7272 FAX : [55] (61) 225–9136 consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo consulate(s): Recife
Flag description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
Economy
Economy - overview: Possessing large and well-developed agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is expanding its presence in world markets. Prior to the institution of a stabilization plan - the Plano Real (Real Plan) - in mid-1994, stratospheric inflation rates had disrupted economic activity and discouraged foreign investment. Since then, tight monetary policy has brought inflation under control - consumer prices increased by only 10% in 1996 compared to more than 1,000% in 1994. At the same time, GDP growth slowed from 5.7% in 1994 to 2.9% in 1996 due to tighter credit. The steadily appreciating currency has also encouraged imports, contributing to a growing trade deficit, and depressed export growth. Brazil's more stable economy allowed it to weather the fallout in 1995 from the Mexican peso crisis relatively well, and record levels of foreign investment have since flowed in, helping to swell official foreign exchange reserves to $60 billion in 1996; stock markets reflected this increased investor confidence, gaining 53% in dollar terms. President CARDOSO remains committed to further reducing inflation in 1997 and putting Brazil on track for expanded economic growth, but he faces several key challenges. Fiscal reforms requiring constitutional amendments are stalled in the Brazilian legislature; in their absence, the government is continuing to run deficits and has limited room to relax its interest and exchange rate policies much if it wants to keep inflation under control. High interest rates have made servicing domestic debt dramatically more burdensome for both public and private sector entities, contributing to federal and state budget problems and a surge in bankruptcies.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.022 trillion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.9% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,300 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13% industry: 38% services: 49% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 10% (1996)
Labor force: total: 57 million (1989 est.) by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%
Unemployment rate: 5.2% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $86 billion expenditures: $90 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment
Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 59.036 million kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 268.874 billion kWh (1995) note: imports some electricity from Paraguay
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,572 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Exports: total value: $47.7 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts partners: EU 26%, Latin America 22%, US 23%, Argentina 11% (1995)
Imports: total value: $53.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal partners : EU 26%, US 24%, Argentina 11%, Japan 5% (1995)
Debt - external: $176 billion (December 1996)
Economic aid: recipient : ODA, $107 million (1993)
Currency: 1 real (R$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: R$ per US$1 - 1.043 (January 1997), 1.005 (1996), 0.918 (1995), 0.639 (1994); CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992) note: on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real (CR$), equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real (R$) was introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750 cruzeiro reais
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Brazil:Communications
Telephones: 14,426,673 (1992 est.)
Telephone system: good working system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic satellite system with 64 earth stations international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean Region East)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,223, FM 0, shortwave 151
Radios: 60 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast